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Fable: The Lost Chapters
The Oracle Messages
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Version 1.0
10/10/2005
by: JDunmanHere
There will be a version history when another version comes along.
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CONTENTS
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I. Intro
II. Overview
III. Getting to the Oracle
IV. Oracle Message
-Yeron - Characters
-Moryk - Lore
-Calran - Creatures
-Avisto - History
V. Legal
VI. Contact
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I. INTRO
=========
Before we begin, let this be a warning to any and all people out there. THIS
CONTAINS SPOILERS. Much of the text found below is taken directly from the
game. You have been warned.
Fable: The Lost Chapters added quite a bit to several areas of a fantastic game.
Along with extending the playtime and adding quests, the player also found new
information that helped flesh out the world, story and characters of Fable. The
Oracle is a big part of that information.
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II. OVERVIEW
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The Oracle serves as an Prologue, Epilogue and history lesson - depending on the
subject of inquiry. For characters, it tells the origins of those killed or
still present in the game. For those who no longer appear at this point, it
tells what's happened to them in the two years that have passed between the
defeat of Jack of Blades and the Hero's arrival in the Northern Wastes.
For every other subject it presents information that is in no means crucial to
the game, but allows the world of Fable to flesh itself out. In some cases, it
even provides hints to future events - but that's something for you to discover.
===========================
III. GETTING TO THE ORACLE
===========================
The Oracle is found in Snowspire, which is the only populated city in the
Northern Wastes. It is the large stone structure sitting in the plaza on the
west side of the city. It serves merely as decoration until the quests "Oracle
of Snowspire" and "Oracle's Knowledge" have been completed, during which you
recover the four Glyphs in Necropolis to awaken it. Later additions of this FAQ
will include more information on the locations of the Glyphs to help lessen the
frustration that is digging in Necropolis.
Once the glyphs have been recovered, you can activate the Oracle from the bridge
oppostie the structure. Under the Skills menu, all four Glyphs can be used or
assigned to Hot Keys as Alignment Expressions. Your Hero will do the necessary
pose and the Oracle will recite one of its entries, based on which Glyph you
used.
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IV. ORACLE MESSAGES
====================
(Note: These are taken from a game in which Whisper survived the Arena, the
Sword of Aeons was banished, and the Hero defeated Jack of Blades in the
Chamber of Fate while mainly good. Whether different actions will change the
Oracle's message will be covered in future updates.)
=YERON - PEOPLE
Whisper
The people of Albion can be fickle in their affections, and Whisper's
inglorious defeat in the Arena stripped her of any repute she may have once
possessed. For many she would never grow out of the immense shadow of her
brother Thunder, and so she left our shores and set out for the distant
homeland she had last seen as a child. Her sea journey was once again beset
with difficulties, and her ship was boarded by pirates. None of them
survived. She arrived at shores she barely remembered with nothing but her
own strength. Yet now she is beloved as a true Hero among her own people.
Theresa
After walking out of the Chamber of Fate, Theresa fled to the mountains,
climbing alone to their summit. There she was taken in by Palgan, an old
Will user from the lands to the East. Palgan had been meditating in the
thin air close to the clouds, but he offered to take her with him on
returning to his homeland. One night, Theresa awoke to find him performing
a ritual above her, in an attempt to steal her prophetic powers. She killed
him and used the amulet that had transported him half-way across the globe.
She lives in the East now, haunted by her past only in rare nightmares.
The Guildmaster
He may be known for his calm poise, as a stern authority rather than an
adventurer, but this was not always so. In his youth, when he went by the
name of Weaver, he was part of a cluster of Heroes, Maze among them, who
rebelled against the previous Guild regime, and its resolution of offering
only virtuous Quests. Much blood was spilled in this short revolt in the
name of freedom, leaving the number of Heroes, already rare in a world of
diminishing Will presence, at its lowest for centuries. It was Scythe who
proposed Weaver as the new Guildmaster, seeing in him the serene and
impartial man he would become. Someone who would leave the moral destiny
of all future acolytes in their own hands.
Thunder
Many years ago, a ship from the South islands was carried upon a wave
mightier than any dragon. And within the ship stood the mountain-like frame
of Thunder. It was a storm as none aboard had ever seen, but the great
warrior was concerned with one thing only: quelling the cries of a child,
his young sister Whisper. The wave bore the vessel across vast expanses of
ocean and into a nest of Krakens. Thunder cast down lightning upon them
and, gathering Whisper in his arms, dove into the waters. As he swam, they
heard the screams of dying men and the sounds of timber torn apart behind
them. It was two days before they reached the shores of Albion, leaving
their home as far off as a dream.
Briar Rose
Born into a noble family, Briar's early childhood was one of luxury and
plenty. But once her strength and unique abilities began to manifest, her
world fell apart. Her mother died in an accident Briar could do little
to prevent, yet her grieving father cast her out and she was left to fend
for herself, learning to rely on no one. She has made the Guild her
home, and it is in its books that she has found the companionship she has
never asked for from another living being. It was her burning quest for
knowledge that sent her on journeys far beyond Albion during the time you
made your mark in this world. But she is here to stay now.
Scythe
There is little I can tell you of Scythe's origins, for such knowledge is a
mystery even to me. Yet he is much more ancient than any of this time would
believe possible, and has walked this world since long before the Guild
existed. It has been centuries since he has personally been involved in any
action, but of those among us, only Jack of Blades has seen and done more.
Maze
You and Maze had more in common that you ever realised. He too was left
alone in the world after a wave of violence took his home away. As a child,
he watched his parents torn apart by Balverines as they walked through the
woods. The beasts were about to turn on him, when three warriors crashed
into the clearing. Two of the were Guild Heroes. The third was Jack of
Blades. In an instant, Jack slew the Balverines in a show of strength,
then killed the Heroes. Maze carried this debt all his life. It burdened
his every action and, in the end, destroyed him.
The Archaeologist
The one who called himself the Archaeologist was one of the few with a true
academic interest in the Old Kingdom. But he was also a mine of
disinformation, gathered from unreliable and sometimes contradicting
sources. And he was too cowardly to delve far enough into the mysteries of
that age. After his kidnapping by Minions, he fled to the cities of the
West, disguised as a glove Trader. He hasn't opened a book or stepped near
a ruin since.
=Moryk - Lore
Demon Doors
The life of a rock endowed with conciousness is never easy, but we all have
a single purpose for which we were created. Mine is to collect stories, to
be a keeper of ancient secrets past and foreteller of terrible events
future. That of Demon Doors is to safeguard the riches that lie behind
them, and to invent games and riddles to test those who seek them.
The Necropolis
The place they call the Necropolis was not always a city of ghosts and
relics. It was once as thriving as any town, and its people as peaceful and
content as any other. Yet there was one among them who was not so satisfied
with this life and bargained the fate of his city in exchange for wealth and
power with entities too powerful to comprehend. The very next day the
riches he desired were his, but he wasn't able to enjoy them for long. A
vast force from beyond this world swept the city and wrought utter
devastation so swiftly that the dead didn't realise they were no longer
among the living. Some still wander the streets, shadows of their former
selves, forever condemned by the avarice of one man.
The Ship of the Drowned
When the Old Kingdom constructed the Hook Coast lighthouse, they did so to
house a magical item known as the Fire Heart. The beating of its powerful
pulse summonded a ship from the depths of time, sunken for millennia, with
a crew of whispers. This ship could carry the traveller to any part of the
world, no matter how remote of inaccessible. But it would take a steely
soul to withstand the desperate solitude of the journey.
The Singing Sword
One of Albion's oldest fables is the tale of a sword whose enormous powers
were matched only by the perfect pitch voice enormous powers were matched
only by the perfect pitch voice with which it would sing battle songs. But
in some versions of the myth, it was its dreadful lack of tune that would
defeat whole armies. This has led some scholars to believe that the tale
has its root in Temmins, the worst bard ever to exist. He who once killed
an old Hero by regaling him with a monstrously bad melody. Unfortunately,
it is only a fable, and such a sword has never existed.
The Gods Skorm and Avo
Though many worship these so-called gods, the temples to Skorm and Avo can
only be dated as far back as four-hundred years ago, when they were founded
by a ruthless Trader. He uncovered two locations in Albion where the Will
was particularly strong. In one of them it tended towards good, healing
those who stood there; in the other it tended towards evil, filling the mind
of its visitors with horror and violent urges. The Trader saw an
opportunity. He would create two temples to two opposing gods, and demand
gold from those who felt their power. In time, people came to believe in
the existence of Skorm and Avo, but they are nothing but false idols.
=Calran - Creatures
Krakens
If Krakens had existed on land as the first Trolls did, or in the air as the
greatest Dragons did, they would be as rare as most other creatures from the
age before man. But they dwell in the deep, unexplored mysteries of the sea
and there they have survived since their creation in the war of the gods.
There is much in the vast depths of the ocean that is unknown to the people
of Albion. And its people should pray it stays that way.
The Sandgoose
Many strange creatures have walked upon this world since its birth, yet the
historians who found some of their remains are responsible for one which
never existed: the fabled Sandgoose. Joining the remains of various beasts,
they hypothesised that this flightless bird was the size of a house, lived
primarily in deserts and was able to speak a variety of languages. There
are those who still believe in its existence, but their search has proved
fruitless so far.
Screamers
These unfortunate beings were once men, Will users who dared to oppose Jack
of Blades. They were cursed never to find rest except by torturing the
souls of the dead and feeding on the lifeforce of the living. But their
true nature is only hinted at in our reality. Their true power is in the
Realm of Death, where souls must pass before reaching their place of torment
or peace. Every person who dies in this world must escape their screams
before finding their own rest.
Summoners
Unseen for almost as long as the Old Kingdom has been gone, these creatures
were once the scourge of Albion. A Will user called Hallik, cast out by the
Archon for his use of dangerous dark magics, created these colossal beings
by reanimating the dead bodies of fallen warriors. People throughout the
Kingdom learned to fear Hallik, and though it was the magician himself who
was the summoner, his creations soon earned that title through their ability
to appear out of nothing as they brought forth total devastation.
Balverines
The first Balverine was born out of the bite of a creature far more
terrible, the Balvorn, who dwelt upon this world when gods and demons were
still the primary force. When men first started to walk amongst them, the
Balvorn would feast on the flesh of thousands at a time. Only once did a
human survive such an attack. He became the first Balverine, and his curse
has survived to this day.
=Avisto - History
Hook Coast
In the early years of the Kingdom, a group of monks retired from the
thriving cities that were appearing everywhere and settled in the harshest
place they could find, founding an abbey on a distant shore. Soon, a whole
community grew to serve their needs and, in time, the Kingdom built a
lighthouse that would guide ships from its ports to the unexplored lands in
the Northern Wastes. When the Old Kingsom fell, it was in a wave of
devastation that affected every town and city in its borders. But a handful
of monks who still inhabited the abbey knelt along the coast and used their
Will power to protect this port and its people. You can still see the
swirls of magic that mark the place they fell. Hook Coast was cut off from
the rest of the world, but thanks to them it stood intact.
The Archon
This age understands nothing of the Old Kingdom. Archon is a name that has
passed down many generations, a lineage of powerful kings united by a unique
bloodline. And by possession of the Sword of Aeons. When Jack found it, it
was a ghost of the weapon it once was. And the name of Archon has become so
detached from the realities of those kings, that it is meaningless among the
modern men. But the first Archon still casts his shadow in this world. A
world that would not even exist had he not wrested it from the gods it
belonged to before the age of man.
Jack of Blades
The mask you carry is empty, but Jack has used it for longer than you can
comprehend. He is no Hero. He is not even a man. When the world was a
blur of fire and demons, when its soil had felt not the tread of humans and
was filled with creatures only your worst nightmares could begin to suggest,
even then was Jack old. What you killed in the Chamber of Fate was just the
latest vessel he had inhabited. Take good care of the Soul Mask now.
Without it, you have no hope of stopping his new incarnation.
Nostro
Among the oldest Heroes still bound to this would is Nostro, the founder of
the Guild. He was a tireless warrior who felt at ease only with a moving
blade in his hand, and the blood of enemies raining down upon his armour.
But he did not die the death he craved, for he was poisoned by an assassin,
leaving his soul languishing unfulfilled in this earthly realm. You
returned the battle attire that was stolen from his grave, but he still
seeks an honourable end before he can truly be at peace.
The Oracle
I was created by order of the third Archon, not just to prepare the Kingdom
for future disasters, but to act as a keeper of all past and present
knowledge. Four Will users with visionary powers were charged with the
task: Calran, Avisto, Yeron and Moryk. Each carved a Glyph of Inquiry into
stone, with the symbols that would allow their user to question me. After
the fall of the Kingdom, thousands of years later, Snowspire found itself
under imminent attack from invading forces. The Guild sent four acolytes to
bury the Glyphs in the Necropolis, where they remained until you found them.
The Prophets of the Fire Heart
When the Old Kingdom was on the verge of collapse, I wasn't the only thing
to be silenced and protected. The Fire Heart, used to call forth the Ship
of the Drowned and to project the Archon's powers across vast distances, was
sealed behind the Primal Demon Door, the first ever created. Charged with
guarding it were the five prophets who had predicted the Kingdom's imminent
destruction. They were encased in glass cages that both protected them from
the beating of the Heart, and kept them alive until such time as they were
released from their duty. Or died fulfilling it.
Snowspire
The town of Snowspire was once but one of many thriving cities in the
Northern Wastes, and its Lost Bay served as the furthest port in all of
the Old Kingdom. Its warriors, steeled by rhe harshest winters known
to man, were among the fiercest the Archon had at his disposal, and it
was to them that he entrusted the protection of the Oracle. But when
the Kingdom fell, Snowspire, and all that surrounded it, was beset by
invading hordes. The Cullis Gates were silenced and the people of the
North were cut off from all living beings beyond the icy seas of its coast.
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V. LEGAL
=========
In all honesty, feel free to do what you will with this FAQ. If you feel the
need to reproduce it elsewhere, it'd be neat if you'd tell me just so I can
brag, but don't feel obligated.
The text in the ORACLE MESSAGES section were taken directly from the game and
were not written by me. I do not take credit for work that is not mine.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective owners.
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VI. CONTACT
============
Questions? Comments? Complaints? Feel free to send me any non-threating
e-mails, but keep this in mind: don't ask me something that doesn't
pertain to this FAQ. I'm not going to be able to help you kill the Kraken. I'm
sorry.
jdunmanhere AT yahoo DOT com.